Lila and Lali weren't twins, yet they were very similar in many regards.
Other than their confusingly identical names, they had the same height and weight. Their appearances differed due to the respective colors of their hair and eyes, but they had similar sets of abilities.
When it came to tracking, spying, long-range observation, sensory awareness, etc. they were both highly qualified and also evenly matched.
In essence… they had the Ranger Class.
For Young Elves, they were pretty much geniuses among their peers, which was why Aurora relied on them a lot more than the other Elves.
However, unlike with humans, that didn't make them feel conceited in any sense.
Their power was for the sake of the community.
They simply had to carry on more responsibility for their brothers and sisters.
As for the less talented Elves, there was no need to feel envious of their sisters.
This was because every Elf was told that had value to the community. The mere fact that they were born as Elves gave them worth.
As such, no matter how incapable an Elf was, there was no need to fear or envy another person.
As such, even with Lali and Lila leading the group through the cavernous path before them, no one felt bitter.
They were all just excited to be of use to Lady Aurora—and by extension, their Elven Family.
They simply—
"Halt." Lila and Lali said with a hushed tone, at the exact same time.
The group stopped, and the girls at the forefront narrowed their eyes while observing the area around them.
"We're not alone." Lali whispered.
"There are life forms here. A lot of them…" Lila concurred.
It was strange for the Dragon to have spared the life of that single human, but what if he spared even more people and allowed them to dwell in the Warehouse?
That made no sense whatsoever.
"Ready your defenses. Rather than falling into their trap by advancing, we'll lure them out."
"Let's find an open space first, though."
They were currently in a passageway, and while it wasn't particularly clustered, the Elves possessed no advantage fighting in a limited space.
'This is bad, though. Even with my sensory abilities, I can barely sense their presence.' Lali thought to herself as she looked at Lila.
It seemed the other Elf was also going through the same thing.
'Could it be some kind of cloaking Magic or Skill? Does that mean the Dragon anticipated our action?'
If things ended up taking an awry turn, they still had the flute that they could use to call upon their Lady Aurora, but none of the Elves present desired such an outcome.
They didn't want to burden their Big Sister, especially since she would also be occupied with her own mission.
As a result, they silently prayed to the Goddess of Nature for aid.
'We just have to get to a storage area as soon as possi—'
"GURAOOOAAHHHHH!!!"
A bunch of Monsters suddenly emerged from the layers of darkness, roaring as they approached the Elves with bloodthirsty rage.
Their numbers weren't identifiable in the thick of the moment, but the two Rangers estimated them to be over ten.
Thankfully, since their defenses were active, the shadowy beasts could only claw at a dense layer of protection.
No one was harmed in any way.
"So they blend in with darkness…" Lali whispered.
"In that case… let's remove their advantage." Lila muttered.
Elves naturally had powerful vision. Whether it was day or night, they could see quite vividly.
However, this vision of theirs had a downside which the Elves were now noticing.
'Our sight automatically banishes darkness by ignoring it and ensuring we see light…'
'By blending in with darkness, they were also able to bypass our superior vision until it was nearly too late.'
Lali and Lila wondered if they would have taken any damage if they hadn't erected barriers prior, but there was no way to honestly determine that.
Realizing this, the two ignored their initial line of thought and focused simply on eradicating the prowling creatures.
"[Flare]."
The two of them stretched their hands forward and released a blast of pure light.
Instantly, a bright flare clouded the room, revealing just how many Monsters there were around them.
That was when the Elves opened their eyes in shock.
"W-what is this…?!"
"There are hundreds of them!"
"What in the world?!"
"What should we do now?!"
Monsters of varying kinds and shapes and sizes were occupying the hallway, all of them with starving eyes and salivating mouths.
"We're at a disadvantage here!"
"We need to hurry. Quicken up the pace as we look for an open area!"
Lali and Lila instantly took initiative and commanded their eight sisters.
The girls nodded, ready to follow the instructions they had been given.
"The Monsters are stunned thanks to [Flare], so we just have to continuously use it while we navigate our way past them."
"They've crossed the area, but with our barrier, we can push them aside and advance!"
Elves had special eyes, so unless the [Flare] in question was especially powerful, they weren't going to suffer any adverse effects from it.
As such, using this strategy was the best course of action.
"Let's go!"
The group hurried past the Monsters, carrying out their plans with the utmost kind of precision.
Every Elf assisted in utilizing [Flare], or some other variant in the form of Spells rather than a Skill.
Thankfully, their barriers held up as they kept up this long process.
Until finally… they arrived at a clearing.
*******
"GURRRUUUUUU…"
"URERUUUUGGHHH…"
"KRUKUUU…"
Monsters swarmed around the Elves, approaching from various pathways that led to the same clearing.
The Elves appeared undeterred, forming a small circle within the clearing as they cautiously watched the creatures approach.
"This is strange. I see different kinds of Monsters…"
"Indeed. They should be attacking each other, but they're working together…"
The Elves found it absurd, especially since they had observed nature for so long and already knew how it operated.
Monsters of differing Races never worked together.
Unless…
"Perhaps it's due to the Dragon's influence."
"It must be controlling them somehow."
They never expected to see Monsters, talkless of a variety of them working together in such huge numbers.
However, this was yet another example of the wise words that Lady Aurora had bestowed upon them.
Lali and Lila looked at each other and nodded warily.
They could see it with their own eyes.
'In life the unexpected happens… and preparations must be made for such moments.'
And now that the moment had come, there was only one thing they could do.
… FIGHT!
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Thanks for reading!
